"I was really impressed," said Helen Norman of Charlevoix. "I think she handles herself really well. She was very matter of fact, non-threatening. She sounded like the leader we need to have in Michigan."

Norman is one of 13 reader panelists who have agreed to comment on issues throughout the year.

The 53-year-old Realtor also noted she thought the governor outlined a decent plan, one that focused on something that's important to all who live in Michigan.

"I definitely think jobs are an issue. I think the creation of jobs will increase the tax base and allow us to have a better handle on the budget instead of having to cut a billion dollars," she said.

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But Boyne City resident Bill George said he has noticed plenty of job opportunities in the area.

"Look at the wanted and help wanted ads on the weekend. I think people have to take advantage of those things. People could go back into school, retrain and get a new job. We've got a lot of job opportunities that aren't being taken advantage of," George said.

That's why the 83-year-old retiree liked what Granholm had to say about encouraging retraining and providing information on what types of jobs are needed in what areas.

"I think jobs are a big problem. It's the way the economy is going to have to come back," he said.

George Jury, a retired investor from Petoskey, agreed that creating jobs was the way to go.

"I think she's going to help business by giving them incentives to stay in Michigan, which is important. The increased revenue will bring the state back," 75-year-old Jury said. "I think she has a big plan for herself and I think she'll be able to do that. We have to stop losing jobs in Michigan."

In her Tuesday night speech to the Michigan Legislature, Granholm also talked about how to create new jobs in Michigan.

"I like the idea of startup capital for new businesses," said Dan Turcott, 38. "It takes a lot of courage to even start a business. I like that part about helping out the entrepreneur."

Turcott, a golf professional from Conway, said he was also pleased Granholm talked about creating a level playing field for local businesses with international trade.

"It's good to see the parallels between what President George Bush was talking about and what our governor was talking about. I thought that was good, maybe showing some bipartisanship," he said.

As Granholm continued to talk about various new incentives, Turcott said he began to wonder if there wasn't a conflicting message there.

"I guess the main thing is creating new jobs and new programs, but how do you do that and cut the budget so much?" he asked. "She was sounding like she wanted to run the government like a business but I just don't know how you do that. I don't know where the money is going to come from to run all these new programs."

Jury agreed that Granholm was on the right track with her incentives, but also wondered where she was going to get the money.

"I would have liked to have her reiterate that she's not going to raise taxes again. I was disappointed that she didn't mention that or reassure us," he said.

Granholm also talked about ways to improve health care through a new prescription card and providing one third of health care costs to businesses. She touched on making schools accountable and providing education to infants. And before she was done she vowed to protect Michigan's natural beauty.

"Whether she can implement them all or whether they will all work is another story," Norman said. "I guess we always hope it works. If we didn't have that optimism we would all just give up."

And whether she can do all she talked about with a Republican-run legislature is another question.

"I think the republicans realize that she's a really strong lady and she has some really strong ideas," George said. "I think they'll come together on a lot of things. I think it's a better philosophy for the Republicans and Democrats to come together to try and do some of the things she talked about."

But as Turcott noted "it's so much more difficult than just saying it because everyone has their own interests. I think it's a great goal to work towards and you can't ever forget that."

Kirsten Fredrickson can be reached at 439-9398, or kfredrickson@petoskeynews.com.